Normal Again
by prin69
Summary: Reality and truth, strange things. Finding someone we lost, hard. Trying to decide to believe the mind or heart, near impossible. Geting lost in the lies, way too easy.
1. like you

**Disclaimer: I do not own Andromeda, some really lucky people with money do.**

**Setting: Season 4, but think Season 5 appearances. Although this story takes place two years after Season 4. And the bar mentioned is not Harper's bar. Merely that they go to a lot, so when someone says, "I'm going to the bar", they all know which bar is meant. **

**Like You**

"_**You make believe… you think that everybody is the same. I don't think that anybody is like you. You think that everybody is the same. I don't think that anybody is like you. Just think about it. You'll get it."**_

**Earth lyrics.**

We're all the same. That's what I cling to. No better, no worse, but all equally useless.

I'm not even sure how long I've been here, or why I was brought in the first place. I can't remember before without my head splitting and my vision getting fuzzy. Without hearing screams and seeing blood covering my hands. I was told that I almost killed myself that way. Apparently I thought I was seeing myself in blood and starting scratching and opened my skin and they had to hold me down and sedate me to make me stop. I took down nurses too. But then again they tell me a lot of things. Like the things that I wake up believing, by the end of the day I realize that I've been hallucinating. And they get mad when I talk about them. So I don't anymore. And I was okay for a while. I mean, whether they were real or not, they were my past, and my past is behind so I should leave it there. And then he showed up. And he had pictures of them, these people and places who were supposed to be imaginary. People I was told didn't really exist and that I just made them up. He told me that I'm different, I'm special. I don't think I am. They told me that I'm not. But lately, it's the things that I've noticed and the things I've remembered when I don't take their medications. I think that they're lying. But I can't tell.

He said that I was important. I don't want to be important. I want to just go back to being the girl in room 6C that has breakdowns at least 4 times a week. I want to be the unstable lady that everyone tiptoes around. That for some reason knows things about battles and flying. And I'm sick of wondering why I know them.

I want to be good so that I can get out of here. And I'm trying; I'm trying really, really hard too.

They said I could leave soon. And he said that he would visit me. I don't think that would be a good idea though.

He makes me want to believe my memories are true.


	2. growls and blame

**_This story is now for Fox of the Nova and Vee017, I had a funky day and they made it all better._ **

"**Normal Again" is the name of a Buffy episode. I, ahem, borrowed it.**

Chapter 2  
Growls and Blame

"Dylan, I think that I may have something here"

"Well Rommie, do tell then."

"What's the point, it's not going to be her. It's never her."

"Yeah, well, ya know what Rhade? Maybe if you would put down that glass we might have found her already. And don't give me that glare! Here you are, just drinking away while we're actually trying to find her! No, you know what? Just keep drinking, because it's obvious that you don't even care about Beka!"

Throughout Harper's little speech Rhade had been trying to gain control of his anger, and slowly losing that battle. And when he said that he didn't care, he lost it and threw Harper to the wall growling.

"Rhade!"

"Stay out of this Dylan! Don't you dare tell me what I do or don't feel." He growled out, voice dangerously low, pinning Harper closer to the wall, his bone blades pressed snug against the younger man.

"Aw, did I hurt the poor uber's feelings?" Harper mocked, ignoring the fact that the man could so easily kill him. Rage and anger and sadness and a blame of Rhade finally being able to be released.

"My _feelings_ were irreversibly shattered when Beka was taken."

"HAH! Yeah right, nice try uber. I'm sure you were crushed when she was taken from right under your nose."

"I am warning you. Stop. Right. Now." He managed to get out.

"We have been trying everything to get her back and you just sit in that bar all day sulking, drinking, as women throw themselves at you. You don't even miss her. I bet you're glad Beka is gone, cause now there's no one to argue with you!"

"I loved her!" His face slackened, and his grip loosened on Harper. He backed away and ran his hand threw his long locks. "I love her," he choked out, "I love her and she was taken right after we had a fight and I said that maybe we should take a break from each other."

Harper stared at Rhade, some realization as to why the man had been depressed coming to him. He didn't only lose a friend; he lost the woman he loved.

Dylan, as shocked as he was by this revelation, managed to mutter, "How long."

Rhade turned to the other man. "It was only a few weeks," he began, feeling too worn out, "It was amazing and I was never happier. That night I told her that I loved her. We got in a fight after that, and I left the hotel. When I finally got back to tell her that maybe we should just rejoin the Andromeda," he swallowed, "well, you know the rest of what happened."

The other men in the room nodded.

Andromeda, who until this moment had chosen to remain silent, decided to join the conversation.

"This lead is a man. He may be helpful to us. It seems that he is a slave dealer, dealing only in women. If you go in posing as buyers, you can talk some information out of him. Chances are that he has seen Beka, sold her, has her, or may know something or someone that could help us in getting her back."

"Fine. Andromeda, set up a meeting," Dylan said to the hologram, not taking his eyes off Rhade.

"I'm going back to the bar, call me when we leave," and with that Rhade left the room, taking out his flask and taking swigs as he went.

"Uh, boss."

"Yes Mr. Harper."

"Do you, I mean. This guy, the kinds slaves he sells and the people that he sells them too, well, they, they uh."

"They are basically stolen women who are sold and then raped by their owners?

"Uh, yeah. Do you, I mean, do you?"

"Harper, I think that if Beka were taken by this man, then I feel bad for whoever bought her. Because she would give them one hell of a time if they tried to touch her."

The young man nodded his head, though didn't seem entirely convinced that the woman he valued so much would be okay. "I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me when we're leaving."

Harper exited command deck and walked to the _Maru_, where he had taken up residence ever since Beka went missing.

Dylan sighed once the doors swished shut, letting the weariness show on his face now that he was alone.

Two years.

It had been two years since he had seen his first officer, his pilot, his friend, and his little sister, Beka.

Two long, exhausting, painful years.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOooOOoOoooOOOoOOOo**_

_**(Author slinks away to write more)**_


	3. obsession

**ON MY BIO: I have decided to start listing my stories and then do a brief summary of where I am with the next chapter, and when I plan to have it up. So if I ever take a long time, or you want to know about the progress of a story of mine, check there.   
Special thanks to my awesome beta, Thought.  
****Four pages, whoo! (I'm working on making my chapters longer).  
**

**Obsession **

A man sat behind a desk, his eyes scanning over documents and certificates all pertaining to one woman. It had taken months of careful planning, countless amounts of money, and patience, but she was in his possession.

He had known he wanted her ever since he first laid eyes on her. They were in a bar on some dingy little drift and there she was, laughing at the bar with her eyes sparkling and head thrown back. He sat and talked with her for a while, and knew she was the one. Unfortunately, just as they were about to leave for some "activities", this uber comes out of nowhere and glares at him, his eyes distinctly screaming "mine!"

But he found he could not get her off of his mind. He ran into her a few more times, but they never stayed alone for long. That uber always showed up, and guided her away. He did note with some satisfaction, however, that the two did not seem to be involved. In fact, she did not even seem to take notice of the uber's infatuation.

And so this man's hunt began.

Using his money he tracked her down, and watched her. He had cameras installed at the drifts, which she tended to gravitate to. Bartenders were paid off, old friends hunted down, and soon he knew everything he could possibly know about the woman.

He did have to suffer from a distance when he discovered her sudden romantic involvement with the uber. But he knew she would be his soon enough. And eventually she was. He could have cried from joy when she and that uber got into a fight and he stormed off. She was alone at last and he had his men go in to retrieve her, he should have known she would fight. That was one of the things that he loved about her; she had a fire inside.

When she was brought to him she looked so tiny, her body was bruised and bleeding. The men were immediately fired, paid, and sent away. She was brought into a hospital and cured fairly quickly, nanobots to thank for that. He promptly had her moved from the hospital when she awoke and created a disturbance after realizing she had been kidnapped.

Didn't she know it was for her own good? So they could be together at last?

He placed her in an asylum, heavily sedated, and well guarded. After he forked over even more money, she was awarded a personal guard. No questions were asked, not after he paid for a new wing to be built.

And so his second wait began, a wait for this woman to become his. His patience was astounding, even to himself. Almost three years gone by and just now his rewards were coming in. She would finally be his. The woman of his dreams.

Captain Rebecca Valentine.

Of course, he had changed her last name quickly after he acquired her. It wouldn't do to have her friends come blazing in and 'save' her so quickly, not after all he had done to get her.

He did let her keep 'Beka', though.

He told himself, just as he had done countless times before, that it was because he was being generous and allowing her to keep something of herself, and that he liked calling her by the name by which he fell for the feisty vixen. In reality, it was merely because his doctors could not rid the name from her mind. Try as they might, it remained and she would answer to nothing else. She had clung to her name when they "questioned" and "cured" her.

It was one of a few things she had left.

Those memories that her mind refused to purge itself of worried the man, more than he would ever admit. But, the woman had been medicated and "questioned" into such submission that she would believe any lies which those under his pay fed to her. And she had a desperate need to please him. No doubt her subconscious remembering some need to prove herself loyal from a fractured past.

Yes, Beka could keep that name. It was only fair. He, after all, had taken virtually everything else.

And in just a few more days her body would be his as well.

XXX

"His name is Nick," reported _Andromeda_ as a visual of three men appeared both on the screen and in hologram form. "He is our main suspect. An informant, this man," suddenly a man to the right of Nick had a red circle around him, "has given us some information."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. People are always giving us information. But is it good?" complained Harper from one of the seats at the table. They were in one of the conference rooms. Across from Harper sat Dylan. And further down the table Rhade had thrown himself into a chair. "I mean, how do we know he's not lying?"

"We don't, Harper," said a very exasperated Dylan, "we just have to take the chance that he's not."

They both turned to Rhade to see if he had any problem so far but he merely waved his hand in a bored manner for the presentation to continue. Harper mimicked the action and Rhade gave a light growl. Dylan sighed. He could tell this was going to be another long day.

"What does Nick do, exactly? And how can we get a meeting?"

"To answer the second question you already have one. In two hours Nick is expecting you to be in his office. With the time it will take to get to the planet you have to leave almost immediately after this meeting is over. To the first question, Nick is in politics."

"Hah! To serve the people my ass."

"Harper!" Dylan scolded as Rhade looked on amused.

"Aw, come on Dylan. The guy's a crook!"

"Based off of what, that he works in the government?"

"Politics, Dylan, politics. 'Poly' means many, 'tics' means blood sucking creatures. You do the math!"

Rhade laughed as Dylan stared at the engineer with his mouth open. The hologram of _Andromeda_ arched her brow and then when no one else said anything she continued on. "Nick has a vast wealth and several connections. Both within his own government, those of nations and planets surrounding him, and even a few less reputable ones."

"Meaning?" asked Dylan.

"Meaning," replied _Andromeda_, "drug dealers, mafia, and other lawbreakers. Though none of these connections can be proved. One reporter came close but was found floating in a river with gunshots in his chest a week later."

"Who's that guy?" asked Harper pointing to the man on the left.

"That would be Jonah."

"I'm assuming since you didn't point him out he's not a suspect?"

"You are assuming correct, Captain. Jonah has little power with any system. He inherited a small fortune from his parents after they died in an accident when he was 19, enlarging it by making friends with a few wealthy families. He then made a couple of computer programs and sold them, after two years alone his fortune had nearly tripled. He has the money, but no real connections that I could find."

"Gets invited to the party but is asked to leave before business starts."

"Exactly."

"Well then boys, let's go find Nick and politely ask him a few questions."

As Dylan and Harper walked out of the room however, Rhade stayed behind and continued to stare at the pictures of the men from his seat. He committed every detail of every fact and person to his memory. And reminded himself to do his own digging later on. If one of these men had taken Beka then he would learn every strength and weakness. Every friend and family member that could be used against him. This way, he could cause the man as much suffering as possible before slitting his throat with his bone blades.

With one last look, and a thought nagging in the back of his mind, Rhade rose from his seat and left to catch up with the other men.

Back in the room the hologram of one man still grinned.

XXX


	4. just another day

**Just Another Day**

Condensation covered the lone window of the small room. It was very simply done. Directly across from the wall with the window was the door. Large and made out of a sturdy metal, a small window at eye level, and a locked metal flap at knee level. For the most part, the walls were plain, painted in a bright white color that often blinded the eyes of the occupant of the room.

However, on the wall to the left of the door, the paint was partially covered by photos, notes, and sketches. The notes were from friends and family of the patient residing in the small room. The photos were of said people, and the home where she normally lived. Pictures herself before she came here, and pretty scenes placed to lighten her mood with festive flowers and inviting colors. The occupant herself made the sketches. These were senseless drawings; they were allowed to stay because they appeared to be harmless.

Inside of the four white walls there was merely a small metal table attached to the floor, a similarly made dresser holding a few items of clothes inside of its beaten drawers, with a brush on the top. A small bed with a metal frame, mattress, and sterile white sheets, a small white pillow, placed in the back right corner. A fragile looking woman lay sleeping on the bed, curled into herself as her brow was creased and she murmured. The sheet lay crumpled on the floor, half hid under the bed frame.

She blinked as she awoke, relaxing her face and straitening her body as she stretched. She wiped her eyes and glanced out the window, noting the rain lapping against the glass as she tried to stop her dream from slipping away. She sat on the bed, merely staring like that, for ten minutes or so until she heard the clicking of shoes coming down the corridor outside of her room.

Slowly getting off of her cot, she changed her clothes, and padded softly to the door. She stood there and waited, running her slender fingers through her hair to rid some tangles, as she heard the lock unclick. It opened and she walked outside of her room and began down the hall. A female nurse handed her a cup of pills, as a male guard slowed down his pace to walk in step with her. Lifting her head up to stare at the ceiling she tossed the cold pills in her open mouth and closed her eyes as they slipped down her throat, creating a trail of bitterness as they went.

The nurse was gone by the time she opened her eyes and she looked ahead of her, her mind losing its ability to think by itself informing her that the drugs were already taking their affect. Her step became a bit faster as sleep slowly faded from her body. Her loose clothes moved slightly in the breeze created by her body in motion. Her long blonde hair, down to her waist, dangled freely. It was messy and strands flew everywhere, but she could care less.

The guard stopped at a door knocked swiftly three times. The door opened and the guard, grabbing her arm, pushed her into the room. The other patients gave her no notice and she went to a chair in the middle of the room. She had become fascinated with watching the others.

After an hour she become bored and plopped to the floor and took a nap. She woke up and looked outside the great windows covering two thirds of the room. Trees from all directions greeted her and there was a small black bird watching her. Something about it made her brain give a jolt but just before some lost memory could spring to her mind the drugs regained control.

She hid her face in her hair and stared at it. He liked her hair. She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness overtook her. She shouldn't think. She shouldn't think of him. He's not real.

Click. Click. Click. Click. A pause, and then Click. Click. Click.

A woman with perfect posture was standing above the plush chair. "The doctor is ready to see you now."

Wordlessly she got up and walked into a room connected to the larger one that she was in now. She stayed in there for several hours. Finally the door opened and an old man ushered her out of the room and smiled at her.

The guard from earlier was back and waited until she was in front of him until he started to walk. They went down a corridor with bad lighting that made the walls glow eerily. At the end there was a door and she moved to the side and stood perfectly still as he took out a key and unlocked the door, all the while watching her from the corner of his eyes. She was a feisty one, prone to attacking violently out of nowhere. Her recent good behavior did nothing to convince him he was safe, he still had scars from some of her last attacks.

The door slid open from the right to left, and they walked through it. She counted backwards from seven and heard it creak as it fully closed. They came upon a door, the only one occupied in the entire corridor. He opened it pushed her to it.

Once inside the door clicked shut and locked. She walked over to her bed, stared at her drawings for a few moments, then closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Just another day in the life of Beka Spires.

**XXXXX**


End file.
